VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI is to publish a new encyclical on faith sometime during the first six months of 2013, the Vatican has confirmed.
“The Pope is preparing a new encyclical on the subject of faith, to be published in the first half of next year, during the Year of Faith,” Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told the Register this morning.
The encyclical will be the Pope’s fourth; he has already written two encyclicals on the other two theological virtues of hope and charity. In 2006, he published Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), followed by Spe Salvi (Saved in Hope) in 2007. Both were also related to his third “social” encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), published in 2009.
Many have, therefore, long speculated the Holy Father would address the third theological virtue of faith and, more recently, that such an encyclical would coincide with the Year of Faith.
According to a Nov. 11 article on the Italian website Vatican Insider, the encyclical is likely to focus on Easter, with a publication date expected during Lent 2013.
Quoting Vatican sources, the website says the Holy Father completed the encyclical during his summer vacation at Castel Gandolfo and is now making “finishing touches.” It says the Vatican wanted to avoid any “overlap” with the publication of the final volume of the Pope’s book Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, to be published Dec. 4.
Father Lombardi noted that, in August this year, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, mentioned the likelihood of an encyclical, but it remained only a possibility, and the cardinal gave no other details.
The new encyclical will also coincide well with some major landmark anniversaries in the life of the Church: the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the 20th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the 1,700th anniversary of the Battle of Milvian Bridge.
At the battle, Emperor Constantine and his men had a vision of the Chi-Rho, one of the earliest symbols of Christ, with the words “Under this sign you will conquer." His victory heralded the beginning of Christian civilization in the West.
All these anniversaries took place in October this year.
‘Beautiful’ Text
It’s understood that during this Year of Faith the Pope will use the encyclical to share his reflections on what it means to be a Christian today, the role of faith in the life of man and society and the value of Christian truths. These will be linked to the “mystery” of Easter, at a time when, in many respects, the world is in crisis.
Vatican Insider claims the new encyclical has been getting “rave reviews” from those who have already seen drafts. “The text of the Pope is beautiful,” a senior prelate in the Curia is reported as saying. “With his simple language, Benedict XVI expresses even the most complex and profound truths which are able to reach a diffusion that goes beyond imagination.”
Edward Pentin is the Register’s Rome correspondent.
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I am shocked that nobody has responded to the above post! The rich man doesn’t even pray to God but rather to “Father Abraham”. His lack of charity is an evidence of where his heart was (with his riches) and not the reason for his condemnation. Our blessed Lord’s sacrifice would not have been necessary if helping the poor were the way to salvation.
Something that causes me a great deal of concern is that Christs words, “The poor you will always have with you” is many times taken out of context. Some use these words of Christ as a justification to deny help to the poor. This was never the intention of Our Lord. Those who do this need to be reminded of what Christ said about our obligation to the poor. Christ gave a perfect example of those who have and those who do not have, in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. In this story the rich man goes to hell for not helping the poor!
Yes it is important to take care of the poor. But Jesus Himself said the poor you will always have with you but not me. Evangelizing or Preaching the Faith has to be the first priority of the Church and this is clearly stated in the 1983 Code of Canon Law. THE SALVATION OF SOULS has to come first and knowing the Faith since there is still too many ignorant Catholics twenty years after the new CCC. Pope Paul VI tried his own Year of Faith and published the “Credo” but it was NOT IMPLEMENTED by those around him. This can’t continue 2 generations later. We all must KNOW what we believe- We are not just another “social service agency”
Faith is very important in helping us to administrate our church institutions; here is an example:
A “preferential option for the poor” should be maintained in our Catholic Schools. If we find that we cannot afford to keep our schools open to the poor, the schools should be closed and the resources used for something else which can be kept open to the poor. We cannot allow our Church to become a church primarily for the middle-class and rich while throwing a bone to the poor. The priority should be given to the poor even if we have to let the middle-class and rich fend for themselves. Practically speaking, the Catholic Schools must close and the resources used for “Confraternity of Christian Doctrine” and other programs which can be kept open to the poor. Remember, the Church managed without Catholic Schools for centuries. We can get along without them today. The essential factor is to cultivate enough Faith to act in the Gospel Tradition, namely, THE POOR GET PRIORITY. The rich and middle-class are welcome too. But the poor come first. [ William Horan - Manchester, NH - .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) ]
I expect this new encyclical to be one of the most profound and life changing moments of evangelization for our generation and many more to come. It will probably be the climax of Pope Benedict’s magisterium, a résumé of his entire intellectual life and thought; and a written witness to his living faith. My guess for the title:
...the Logos Became Flesh and Dwelt among Us…
May the Holy Spirit inspire our Holy Father with utmost wisdom as he finishes his masterpiece, and may the same Holy Spirit inspire the faithful and all people of good will to receive this evangelizing message with holy joy.
It has been rumored that the Holy Father will use the recent recommendations from the Synod of Bishops for the year of faith in an Encyclical. Might this be the “finishing touches” mentioned in this article. The Synod of Bishops made it clear, not all is well in the Church after Vatican Council ll. Some of the main points I read about was the fact that there has been some departures in practice, of the Council Documents themselves. It was said that the theme that resounded the most was the “Reform of the reforms”. A good number of Bishops made their dissatisfaction known in no small terms. This must have come as a shock to many in the Church who had gotten used to the Church not speaking out on abuses against the Council.
This is very good news! Thank you for sharing.
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